COVID Message from Thai Alumni Chapter

Mr. Sumeth Amornjaruchit, MM 1985

President, AIM Alumni Association Thailand Chapter (AAAT)

Vice Chairman, FAIM

The doctors said Covid-19 is a new virus disease. It will take some time to understand its characteristics and behaviours. So, what should we do?

It was a very high risk taking and decision making that FAIM held the Triple A Awards Celebration Year 2020 and FAIM Annual General Meeting during the beginning stage of Covid-19 rapidly spreading worldwide in late February 2020 at AIM in Makati, Manila recently. Fortunately, none of the attendants, guests of honour, visitors from abroad get Covid-19 infected after all.

I returned home with the feeling and doubtful in my mind that whether I get Covid-19 infected or not, due to the fact that, during the said events there were few persons get coughing. The best solution for myself is to have myself quarantined at home for 21 days, after that trip.

Thailand’s government was also in a blind situation on how to handle the Covid-19, from day one. Fortunately, the common sense of the cabinet was correct that “we are now fighting with an unknown virus disease so the white gown doctors, nurses, and all medical personnel must be the right warriors to defeat this war”. Therefore, the professor in medical doctors whom specializing in various pandemic fields were all invited, gathered, volunteered to form a “white gown warriors team” by early March 2020 so called “The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)”. CCSA comprises of different fields of medical doctors, nurse, plus 1.2 million village health volunteers whom are the Thai citizens living in an urban and remoted areas in Thailand (these group have been long established with a long envisage by The Late Great King Bhumiphol Rama IX). They were having first aid medical training to help taking care of citizens throughout the Kingdom of Thailand.

Thailand’s national policy is simple that “without citizens, there is no nation”. CCSA keeps setting up many rules, regulations, guidelines, monitoring very closely on hourly basis. CCSA must know what is the real situation of New Infected Cases, New Death Toll Cases, New Thai home-coming Passengers from abroad via International Airports or by Land Terrestrial Borders whom are suffering from living in those specific countries, and so on. These group of people when they entered the kingdom they will be controlled under “State Quarantine for 14 days” at the specific shelters that the government provide for free. For those citizens who were infected within the domestic pandemic will be controlled under “Local Quarantine for 14 days” of which shelters are provided for by the government for free. CCSA also daily monitors on what kind of businesses and activities to be allowed to open or must be closed due to the new infection cases.

During this lockdown period, there was neither domestic nor international tourist coming in. Therefore, many of the 3 to 4 stars accommodation hotels throughout the kingdom offer their hotels to be a quarantine shelters to the government. They provide food catering, house-keeping, and room services just like a normal hotel operation. This is a win-win-win situation that the hotel is still can utilizing its facilities, the employees can retain their jobs, and the passengers have a good quality of live during their quarantines for 14 days.

Thailand’s government provides all support which required by the CCSA immediate.

Thai Citizens cooperate, coordinate, listen, follow what the CCSA instruct, advice, order to do.

Furthermore, all businesses in Thailand were lockdown. Some businesses were temporarily closed. Some were permanently closed. There were millions of citizens losing their income and jobs. Thailand’s government immediately set up Financial Compensation Schemes for 6 months to more than 30 million citizens which covers most of the occupations such as, agricultural sectors (agricultural, fisheries, poultry), employees at the commercial offices, factory and manufacture industries, free lancers (taxi and public drivers, construction labours, hair salon, and etc.), and a lot more.

Moreover, all the financial and banking institutions in Thailand help relaxing on debts repayment, extension of debts repayment, reducing interest rates, provide necessary revolving fund or loan to the customers.

Last but not least, there were more than 20 Thai billionaires help supporting, contributing in many different kinds of subjects and objects as they are good at to the CCSA, to the citizens.

As of today May 31st 2020, accumulated patients:

• Confirmed Infected 3,081 cases

• Returned home 2,964 cases

• Deaths 57 cases

• Patient under investigation 420,529 cases

We have a new normal ways of living our lives in Thailand, from now on, for instance:

• Before entering to any shopping malls or restaurants, we must scan QRC to register our presence at that mall.

• And before entering to any shops within those malls, we have to scan to register at that specific shop too.

• When we leave the malls, we have to scan to leave too.

• All these QRC information will be linked to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (monitored by the white gown warriors). This is to closely monitor if there is one new infected Covid-19 case, then the government can easily trace back and have those people under local quarantine for 14 days immediately.

Three easy habits to protect yourselves from Covid-19 as a New Normal:

1.Wear masks every single moment you will have a second person surround you. 2.Wash your hands frequent. 3.Keep social distancing 1-2 meters.

Please stay safe, stay healthy from Covid-19.

God bless us all.